


Family

by fabrega



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, SeaWorld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-25
Updated: 2009-07-25
Packaged: 2019-10-01 13:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17245448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabrega/pseuds/fabrega
Summary: "You do realize that 'Sea World' would be a fairly apt name for the planet where we normally live, right?"





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Set sometime between 3x12 (Echoes) and 3x17 (Sunday). Originally written & posted on LJ in 2009, moved to AO3 in December 2018 with minor edits for spelling/clarity. 
> 
> I wrote this for a prompt from a friend, based on my fond childhood memories of SeaWorld. Knowing what I know now about it as an institution, I would not write this fic again, but I would rather preserve it here with that context than have the fic just disappear into the depths of the internet.

"Remind me again why we're here?" Rodney says, his tone resigned. He sits down on the metal bleachers, his posture and body language saying clearly that he is here but that he certainly doesn't have to like it.

John hands Rodney a newly-purchased popsicle and takes a seat beside him. " _You_ ," he says, unwrapping a second popsicle and starting to consume it, "You are here because you promised Madison she could go wherever she'd like for the day while she's visiting. _I_ am here because you were going to chicken out and not take her anywhere, just let Jeannie take her to some boring science museum, and as your friend I couldn't let that happen."

Rodney stares mournfully at the popsicle. "But it's _SeaWorld_."

John shrugs. "At least it's not Disneyland."

"You do realize that 'Sea World' would be a fairly apt name for the planet where we normally live, right?"

John just laughs.

"Seriously, there are even whales."

"But do they do backflips?"

Rodney shoots him a dirty look, but says nothing as Jeannie, Caleb, and Madison join them in the bleachers. He's too busy sulking, chewing darkly on his popsicle, to notice the look John gives Caleb--quick and sort of cautious and tetchy, like he doesn't quite trust him yet, like he might steal Rodney away when John isn't looking--or even to notice that Madison crawls across everyone's laps just to sit by Uncle Mer.

*

When the show is over, Rodney stands up, groaning and stretching. "Well, that was the worst--" he begins, but John, noticing Madison's big adoring eyes on her uncle, quickly elbows him in the ribs. "--Mildly entertaining," he finishes, unconvincingly.

Madison grins. "Can we go see the sharks now?" she asks. She's obviously psyched after the sea lion show.

"I don't see why not!" John replies, smiling back at her.

"And can we get ice cream too?" she continues.

"Madison, honey, you just had lunch," Jeannie admonishes.

John speaks up again. "Come on, she's on vacation. A little extra dessert never hurt anyone."

Jeannie gives in, and Madison, still a little shy of John, wraps her little arms around Rodney's legs in a big bearhug and tells him, "Uncle Mer, you have the best friends." The awe radiates in her voice, and even faced with John's proud, smug look, Rodney has to smile.

Jeannie, Caleb, and Madison stand in line for ice cream while John and Rodney stand in the shade across the walkway. "You know, if Dippin' Dots were really originally the 'Ice Cream of the Future', shouldn't they be the Ice Cream of the Present by now?" Rodney remarks thoughtfully.

John shrugs. "Dunno, never tried them. You really ought to at least look like you're having fun."

"They're really not much to brag on. When you get down towards the bottom of the bowl, they're all melted together into regular ice cream anyway." Rodney doesn't acknowledge John's remark.

"Seriously, Madison is having a great time. Even if your sister is willing to let you rain on her parade, I'm not going to if I can help it."

"How noble of you," Rodney snorts. "She tugged on my sleeve through the entire sea lion show, saying, 'Uncle Mer, Uncle Mer, that seal is dressed like a pirate!'" He delivers this last in an unhappy monotone.

"Well, they _were_ dressed like pirates."

"You know I'm no good with kids--"

"You're just going to have to be. Just for today. This was your idea, Rodney. Look, if you can be cheerful for the rest of the day, when we get back to base I'll watch hockey with you."

"And let me fly the 'jumper next time we go up?"

"You're hopeless," John says, hitting Rodney in the arm jocularly, not agreeing outright to anything.

Madison and Jeannie and Caleb come back over, each cupping a bowl of Dippin' Dots in their hands. Madison licks hers off the spoon; Jeannie contemplates her bowl, saying, "Shouldn't these be the Ice Cream of the Present by now?"

*

"This is weird," Rodney says. He's had his fill of sharks, and besides, the aquarium was making him a little claustrophobic. John had escorted him outside before it got difficult to breathe.

"What's weird? Spending time with your family? Having a nice time? Not having to worry about what could go wrong all the time?" John asks, mostly teasing.

"Well, that too. But that wasn't what I was thinking of. It's weird to be here, and it's weird to be here with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why are _we_ here?" Rodney says suddenly.

"I told you before the sea lion show, you're here because of your family, and I'm here--"

"No no no no no, why are we here? What are We, Rodney McKay and John Sheppard, the Us that we don't talk about, doing here?"

John shrugs. "We like whales?"

Rodney sighs exasperatedly.

"Hey, we owe our lives to whales!" John protests. "We would all be fried to a crisp if not for those whales."

"Be serious! I mean, if you told me 'Hey, I'm going to SeaWorld with my extended family, you can come along if you'd like,' I would make as many other plans as I could to try to get out of it. Even if we could get a little bit of time to ourselves like this, secret so nobody knows, it isn't worth it. It's so much harder to hide out in the open like this."

"Who's hiding?"

"Uh, us? I seem to recall you telling me something about it jeopardizing your career?"

"Rodney, your sister already knows."

"I mean, of all the places to end your career, SeaWorld isn't--what?" Rodney stops in his tracks. "What do you mean Jeannie knows?"

"I mean she knows. I showed her the video you recorded for her back before that first big Wraith attack, and somehow from that she figured us out. It's okay."

Rodney's eyes are full of panic. "How is that okay?!"

"She just wants you to be happy. She cares about you. That's what family does."

Rodney breathes out slowly, seeing the look in John's eyes and wanting to ask--but before he can say anything else, Madison comes skipping out of the Shark Encounter and looks up at him with big bright eyes, telling him about how many teeth sharks have and how sharp they are. He pats her head, still not quite sure how to deal with children. Jeannie and Caleb come out of the exhibit behind her holding hands, and Rodney thinks, fleetingly, about family.

*

Madison has asked, for the last big adventure of the day, if they can go see the whales. They've already seen the penguins and the dolphins, and Madison has spent something like an hour and a half in the pirate-themed playground area. All of the adults are looking tired, but Rodney agrees, somewhat grudgingly, to one last show. He settles into the bleachers a bit more comfortably this time; this time, he notices the way Jeannie smiles at John as she climbs over his knees into an open seat, Madison in her arms. There's something in that smile that makes Rodney brave, and as the orcas leap out of the water, a trainer poised on each of their noses, he puts his hand over John's.


End file.
